Ryan Austin is a serial entrepreneur who has spent over 12 years driving improvements in learning and development. In his current role as CEO at Cognota, the first LearnOps platform for corporate L&D teams, Ryan is focused on developing innovative technology that enables corporate learning teams to increase their productivity by powering learning operations across enterprises. Cognota’s patent-pending technology is the recipient of several Brandon Hall awards, including recognition for Best Advance in Emerging Learning Technology and Best Advance in Learning Management Measurement/Business Impact Tools. Prior to Cognota, Ryan served as Senior Vice President for World Trade Group, an organization that offers live events and training courses. In addition to his role as CEO at Cognota, Ryan is a mentor at Elevate, a non-profit organization focused on social innovation. He also co-founded GoFish Cam, a hardware technology company for the fishing industry which he exited in 2019, co-founded Stack & Sprout, a vertical garden for condominium patios, and is an active angel investor in B2B SaaS and Consumer Products. Ryan studied Sociology at York University and Business/Corporate Communications at Western University. He has participated in numerous entrepreneurial accelerator programs including Surge Ventures, StartEd EdTech Accelerator, Telluride Venture Accelerator, Capital Factory and The Next Founders Program. Ryan is the host of the LearnOps Leadership Series and a contributor to various publications for organizations including the Association for Talent Development, Training Journal, Forbes Business Council, and The Future of Talent/L&D.